Revisiting four months of 'The Impossible' with Oscar's deadline looming

It's December 12. The 2013 SAG Awards nominations are announced and in a happy surprise Naomi Watts has made the cut. Moreover, it’s an excellent sign she'll land what would be only her second Oscar nomination. The next day Watts also earns a Golden Globes nomination in the best actress - drama category, but "The Impossible" earns nothing else. Since Gurus of Gold had begun in September, Deadline’s Pete Hammond and I were the true believers that "The Impossible" would make the 10. After Globes and SAG he drops it from his 10. I’m the only one left.

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After initially being reluctant to have the picture made, Maria ended up spending a lot of time on set and both she and the rest of her family contributed anecdotes and details to the screenplay. To some the events may seem too coincidental, but it’s almost beat for beat how they played out. At one point, Bayona says one of the family members was asked how close the film came to their actual experiences. One of the boys replied, “Well, the ball was yellow.” That refers to the red ball Henry goes after in the movie before the wave hits.

“The truth is that it's funny that you said coincidences because we really play with that because we have to play with that,” Bayona says. “There is no reason to survive more than being lucky. We couldn't put any kind of heroic action in the characters that would define their survival because it would have been like telling the other people who didn't make it maybe you didn't do enough. So we were very, very careful with that.”

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As December rolls on more and more national reviews are published. Unlike Bayona's native Spain or even the U.K., they are surprisingly mixed to positive. American critics for the most part are not warming to the tale. By its opening day in New York and Los Angeles, "The Impossible" has a 73% on Metacritic and a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. Very good, but not the great you need for trade ads and end of year top 10 lists. I find it somewhat disheartening. The picture has already narrowly beaten "Zero Dark Thirty" for best picture on my own top 10 list. A number of colleagues I respect have it on their own top 10's or close to it. Excuses such as "too intense," "too melodramatic" and "too coincidental" begin to rear their heads. Yes, a film that's factually more accurate than "Argo," "Lincoln" or "Zero Dark Thirty" is "too coincidental."

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Naomi Watts has played real life people before, most famously as Valerie Plame in “Fair Game“. While Plame’s life was turned upside down by a Vice President’s vindictive leak, Maria thought she’d lost her entire world and life over the course of just a few hours. Meeting Maria for the first time was something that’s clearly etched in Watts’ mind.

“Maria is incredibly open. When we got together you don't want to just hit them with actor questions and pry because we're making a movie,” Watts says. “But with Maria she is just so open to speaking and it's so right there at the surface that it just kind of poured out of her. For the first few minutes in the room we just sort of sat opposite each other and she started to cry because this story is part of her now and to tell it and give it away is emotional for her and it will continue to be that way.”

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"The Impossible" doesn't do wonders in limited release when it opens in 15 cities on Dec. 21. Sadly, I saw this coming. There wasn't enough heat in December around the release and just too much competition. Outside of “Zero Dark Thirty,” the art house market is glutted with too much product that is all underperforming (“Hyde Park on Hudson,” “Anna Karenina,” “Hitchcock” and, now, “Not Fade Away"). Plus, films such as “Les Miserables” and “Django Unchained” are the first choices among even the art house crowd. There is some hope with less than a week before Academy member’s ballots are due. Reese Witherspoon wrote an op-ed in Entertainment Weekly and said she was “blown away” by the picture. Angelina Jolie and Kate Hudson both held private Academy member screenings for the picture in London and New York respectively (Del Toro also hosted a screening).

The screener is out there, but will members watch? Will they recognize this impressive epic that is a more complete achievement than some other Academy hopefuls? Considering little feel settled this Academy season anything is possible, right? Throw the screener in your DVD player Academy members. You may be surprised at what you discover. If you don't? The legacy of "The Ice Storm," "Do The Right Thing" and "The Dark Knight" awaits.

"The Impossible" is now playing in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Phoenix and Philadelphia.

With over a decade of experience in the movie industry, Ellwood survived working for two major studios and has written for Variety, MSN and the LA Times. A co-founder of HitFix, Ellwood spends his time relaxing hitting 3’s on the basketball court and following his beloved Clippers.

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If nothing else, it's the most powerful and tearjerking movie of the year. That's got to count for something with Academy members, I'd think. Hopefully it can eek out some nominations for its sound, as it's impeccable. I imagine sound designers would really respond to the immersive work here.

Way to go Greg. Really appreciate the way you have actively and openly come in support of the film while several others who have loved the film as much remain muted.

Though I feel chances of Impossible getting into Best Picture are slowly diminishing especially considering its mediocre performance at the box office. Also, with Academy members having much less time this around, they might go with more high profile choices. Still, I haven't lost faith yet. I bet, if there is one surprise in that Best Picture line-up, it has to be The Impossible. Otherwise expect the expected.

And yes before I forget, how truly well said.

"Yes, a film that's factually more accurate than "Argo," "Lincoln" or "Zero Dark Thirty" is "too coincidental" "

All those who loved the film, haven't placed it on their Top 10 list. And neither have they come with a dedicated article like Greg has. Then you have Twitter thing too where you express the love but nothing after that.

Ha, Kris, you are over-reacting. I didn't lash out at anybody by any stretch of imagination. I just said that critics who loved the film aren't as vocal as say lovers of ... Silver Linings or Argo. This is just a reaction of what I felt, just in the same way you may react to a film that you love but isn't getting the notice. Is that a crime ?

I am sad to say this, more so because I am regular visitor of this site, but more often than I have felt that just because we are commenters, the authors/owners go overboard in decrying us without a genuine reason [not at all times but quite frequently]. And I am sorry but as a blogger myself, I took offense to this when you don't respect the readers.

As an avid reader of InContention and the IC comment boards, I have to agree with Gautam...you, and Guy, can be unnecessarily crabby and snide with your readers...yes, many of the commenters here are challenging...but I've noticed, for quite some time now, Guy and you can be confrontational and condescending even with the best of your readership.

Thanks for this interesting article. I really loved the film and I'm hoping it gets some recognition. The production design work is very impressive. And I'm looking forward to Tom Holland's future work - he was incredible. Such a rich year...

I am fully behind any sort of campaign for this film too get more recognition. though it isn't my favourite of this year ("Cloud Atlas" so far, and I don't see anything beating it), I have NEVER seen an audience this moved by a film, ever. from tweens to the elderly, everyone left my screening sobbing (except for me; I was very moved, but I'm heartless, apparently =P). this is being advertised here in Brazil as, and I'm quoting the TV spot word for word, "the most moving film of all time". and it IS very moving.

actually, I just wanted to voice my agreement with your opinion of 2001 being the best film of all time. OF ALL TIME (kanye mode off)!!!

They should have held the film back and releases it in 2013. This release was way too late for a film without a high-profile filmmaker, popular source material, a big high concept, or overwhelming festival buzz.

We do understand how and why the Oscars are buzzed to always nominate and award the undeserved and snub the deserved. This is literally happening year after year through a process known as buzz-manipulating and king-making by a small circle of people who claim themselves to be experts.

Though the first 50 minutes of The Impossible was riveting, the second half was completely undermined by the most repulsive use of music that I have heard in a film in a long time. The sickeningly ingratiating orchestra, especially the violins, blaring like the fucking Four Horsemen hopped-up on a mountain of twinkies, just took me me right out of the film, so much so that I started to resent the director. Being a Torontonian, I saw the film at TIFF, and I can tell you that much of the audience started to groan or laugh during these ham-fisted crescendos. It's too bad because the three lead performances were very good and did not need any help from the musical peanut gallery. And Geraldine Chaplin had a lovely moment as well. For penance, Juan Antonio Bayona should be forced to watch Haneke's, Amour, until he understands that less is more.

I've just seen The Impossible. I have never wept so openly in a cinema. The performances of Watts, McGregor and the three boys are superlative and the technical achievement of the filmmakers, astonishing but it's the overwhelming humanity that provides the biggest emotional wallop. The ferocity of a parents love or the generosity of strangers worse off than you. The screenplay is as well thought out as the recreation of the devastating tsunami.